In 1994 I was diagnosed with celiac disease, which led me to create Celiac.com in 1995. I created this site for a single purpose: To help as many people as possible with celiac disease get diagnosed so they can begin to live happy, healthy gluten-free lives. Celiac.com was the first site on the Internet dedicated solely to celiac disease. In 1998 I founded The Gluten-Free Mall, Your Special Diet Superstore!, and I am the co-author of the book Cereal Killers, and founder and publisher of Journal of Gluten Sensitivity.

By Scott Adams

Published on 02/8/1996

Nerve
Disease and Celiac Disease
Celiac.com 02/08/1996 -
The article was
based on a stud

Nerve
Disease and Celiac Disease

Celiac.com 02/08/1996 -
The article was
based on a study published in the same weeks Lancet which was conducted
by Dr. Marios Hadjivassiliou and colleagues at the Royal Hallamshire
Hospital in Sheffield, England. Dr. Hadjivassiliou tested patients
with various undiagnosed neurological symptoms and found that 57%
of them tested positive to gluten sensitivity. Specifically, they
tested positive for gliadin antibodies, which means they have gluten
sensitivity and not necessarily celiac disease. Sixteen percent of
the patients were found to have full blown celiac disease, which is
far higher than the estimated .004% level found in the normal population.
Five percent of the patients with previously diagnosed neurological
disorders such as Parkinsons disease were found to have the gliadin
antibodies present compared to 12% of a healthy control group.

According Dr.
Hadjivassilious theory, many neurological ailments could be caused
when the anti-gliadin antibodies mistakenly attack neural tissue and
destroy it. The fact that some celiac patients with neural damage
never fully heal helps to support Dr. Hadjivassilious theory, because
neural tissue repairs itself very slowly, if at all. Further, Dr.
Hadjivassiliou states in the article that celiac disease seems to
be much more common than was previously thought (1 in 250 people).
When one includes the people who test positive for the gliadin antibody
(this means they have gluten-sensitivity and are not necessarily celiacs),
the amount could be much higher than 1 in 250. Based on his study,
Dr. Hadjivassiliou recommends that patients who exhibit any type of
neural disorders be tested for gluten sensitivity and celiac disease.